Scuola Hanover, a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance–So Artsi who cost $12,000 as a yearling, opened a big lead in the stretch then held off the previously-unbeaten $550,000 yearling Come See The Show in taking one of three divisions of the third preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stake for two-year-old pacing fillies Monday night at Pocono Downs.
Double A Mint took the lead away from Come See The Show past a :28 opener, then strolled to a :58.1 half and still had no challengers until past the 5/8’s pole. That’s when Scuola Hanover and driver David Miller unleashed a lightning burst, reaching the leader by the three-quarter pole in 1:26.4 and then sailing right on by, with Come See The Show, who was a trifle slow in finding high gear when the pace rapidly accelerated on the full turn, stuck in the pocket behind Double A Mint and pinned in by the gapping second-over Elysium Seelster.
Once extricated just past head-stretch, Come See The Show put on a very good stretch show, but the 17-1 Scuola Hanover had opened just too big a lead, and with a :27 last quarter completing the 1:53.4 mile, held off the chalk by 1-1/4 lengths, with Double A Mint that same distance behind the place horse in third.
Scuola Hanover, who had a second and third in her previous two PaSS starts, stamped herself as a major divisional player while taking a new mark in the big victory for trainer Andrew Stafford, co-owner with Arthur Stafford and Thomas Ireland.
Another well-bred filly, the Somebeachsomewhere-Rainbow Blue miss Rainbow Room, had been with Come See The Show the only two freshmen to win in the Sires first leg, but she was scratched sick in her division.
Cuts Like A Knife, out of the mare Whetstone Hanover and giving sire A Rocknroll Dance a Sires siring double, took her second straight PaSS prelim, racing on the lead and coming home in :54.4 – :27 to squelch the pocket rocket bid of Alexas Power by a nose in a personal best 1:53 for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Bruce Saunders, owners Charles, Julie, and Francene Nash, and fans of Bryan Adams.
The Somebeachsomewhere-Kiss Me Kate filly Kissin In The Sand, making her PA Sires debut after winning two Kindergarten legs, rallied from the pocket to defeat pacesetting Strong Opinion by three-quarters of a length, with her time of 1:52.4 the fastest in the three divisions but the only one not a personal mark, “Kissin” having won in 1:51.4 at The Meadowlands. Yannick Gingras had sulky duty for trainer Nancy Johansson and owners Marvin Katz and the Hatfield Stable.
(PHHA/Pocono)